Sren Shepherd

Professor Fisher
Power and Imagination
9 October 2014
Reading Reflection #1
It is interesting to me when teachers claim that they are the ones who are actually learning so
much from their students, rather than it being the other way around. Its not that I dont believe it, but it is
an idea that is intriguing to me. Paulo Freires ideas also intrigue me, and I appreciate how passionately
he takes his stand. His article attacks the Brasilian school system by means of a metaphorical banking
concept. He discusses the failure of the depositing of information to students, and how the simple
transferal of facts and so called knowledge, is in no way educating people in a substantial way. He
believes that by means of a problem-posing style of education students will be able to think
authentically, and to develop a meaningful relationship with the world. Education should be
collaboration between people, be it teachers, students, or anyone else, because everyone you meet knows
something that you dont.
The word that is included in Williams initial description of the word education that I
particularly appreciate is the word foster. Education should be about the fostering of an individual and
their growth as a human being. Williams also explores the meaning of different uses of the word such as
uneducated, over-educated, and half-educated. He makes an interesting claim that the indication of
educated keeps being changed so that most people who have been educated are below it. Another
interesting idea that he brings up is that when the majority of kids didnt receive a formal education, it
was easy to distinguish between the educated and uneducated, but now that people are receiving such
drastically different levels of education, it becomes harder and harder for the distinction to be made.
One issue that seems to resonate in both the film The Class and in Freires article is that of the
relationship between the students and the teacher. The children in the film do not respect Marin, and they
feel like they should be treated more like equals. The one thing I dont think they understand however is

the idea that without any respect towards their teacher, they dont in any way benefit from the
relationship. Freire stresses the importance of the concept that learning must be a two-way road, teachers
teaching the students, and students teaching the teacher. The foundation for this sort of healthy learning
environment is based on mutual respect between the two parties.
I think the most important thing a teacher can teach a student is how to learn, how to be a critical
thinker; how to in the present, examine the things around you and be able to take away knowledge from
that situation. I think that Freires biggest point is that the overall goal of education is to develop thought
process. I tend to agree, I feel that in terms of education, facts and formulas are nothing unless you have
the cognizance to be able to do something with them. Thats where the Williams discussion of
educated vs uneducated can be discussed, because someone can have a vast variety of deposited
information in their head, but be unable to use that information in any way that is useful. On the other
hand however, someone can have a very limited amount of deposited information in their head but be able
to apply it very effectively. Who is it that can say that one is more educated than the other? How is it that
level of education should be measured? Should students have a say in what it is theyre learning, or how it
is that they are learning?